Falling Body On Rotating Earth 2D Documents

Main Document

The EJS Falling Body On Rotating Earth 2D model illustrates the trajectory of an object dropped from rest (relative to the rotating Earth) from a point above Earth'sequator. The user can set the initial height of the object above (orbelow) the Earth's surface, as well as the rotational speed of Earth.The motion of the object can be viewed from an inertial reference frame,or from a frame that rotates with the Earth (illustrating the effects of the so-called "Coriolis force"). The simulation can be made to stop when the object hits Earth's surface, or it can allow the object to move through the Earth.

The user can select from a variety of options that control the gravitational and resistive forces acting on the object as it falls. The simulation can also generate a plot of the object's longitude (initially assumed to be zero) as a function of time.